Somebody had been round the woods and swept all the leaves up into piles. It was surreal to see so many identical little heaps, all so precise and symmetrical. At the time I thought it was either an art project or a prank, now I know it's something much, much worse.
I didn't even think twice about letting my kids go and jump in one or two but the further into the woods we got, the deeper the piles seemed to go, the more my kids struggled to get out of them until one pile just swallowed them up.
There was no sound, no crunching of bone or growling or anything to give away that they were alive. They were all alive. Every last one was something, some kind of creature the likes of which I've never seen before nor since.
As I was running out of the woods to get help I saw them all begin to emerge, behind me at first but speeding up and up and up until I was dodging their outstretched necks like gym class hurdles. When I reached broke free from the trees and stumbled out into the fields I turned back and caught a glimpse of the sheer entanglement of bones that decorated every single creature.
When winter came they all vanished in the span of a single day.
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